Europe's weak currency may zap your profits there, but the good news is that you can buy or rent...

Donald Bauchner and his wife never expected to own a French chateau. But they rented a vacation home in Provence three years ago and fell in love with the region. "We started looking just to see what was out there," says the New York City businessman, 59, "and we were enthralled." What the Bauchners wound up with was an 18th century stone castle and 22 acres of forest. The place was a bargain at $570,000, even though a two-year renovation more than tripled the original cost. Now the Bauchners spend most of their time in Provence entertaining, visiting the surrounding villages...